The Day The Moon Fell
by Captain Antilles1
Summary: The story behind The Gate Incident, which ravaged Earth and left it a wasteland! Please R


The Day The Moon Fell  
  
Disclaimer - I don't own Cowboy Bebop. If I did, I wouldn't be writing fan-fics for it, now would I. Well, I might be, but that's besides the point.  
  
Synopsis - This story describes, in detail, the tragic accident that made Earth into a wasteland. "The Gate Incident" occured in the year 2021 in the Cowboy Bebop universe. Earth is now barely habitable, and almost everything occurs underground. Here is my opinion on the happenings of that tragic day, and a detailed description.  
  
The Day The Moon Fell  
-----------------------------  
  
"Alright, Landers. It's now or never. Throw the switch." Jed Landers looked over at his supervisor, Mr. Henrich, with disdain. One of these days, his lack of attention to details was going to cause a bad accident, maybe even a fatal one. "Mr. Henrich, if we have to close down the station for tonight, let's just wait until tomorrow. You can't rush something like this." Henrich hated to be corrected. His eyes got big and he spat as he yelled, "You think you know what to do? Who is the supervisor here, huh? Are YOU the supervisor?!?" Jed looked annoyed and exhausted at the common excuse for avoiding any and all advice offered to his boss. "No, sir, you're the supervisor," Jed sighed with feigned respect for the big man. Henrich continued, unfazed. "Now, Gate Corp. wants us to do this job today. And I want to do it now! What are you worried about, anyway? We already set up Gates near Mars, and one out near Venus. We are just connecting the two. What could go wrong?" Landers bit his lip, grimacing. "Well, nothing sir. I just think maybe we should check those coordinates one last time, to be sure."  
  
"That will take another whole two weeks, Landers!" Henrich said. "We will have to have the computer calculate the same numbers we already checked twice, and that takes time! First, we will have to send a beacon, then establish the connection, then get the satellite fix. Two weeks, Jed. Gate Corp. wants this done today!" Jed nodded in defeat. Henrich looked a little uneasy himself, after seeing the fear in his assistant's eyes. "Be-besides, Proffessor Hex programmed this Gate personally. What could go wrong?" Henrich put a big hand over Jed's shoulder. "Gate Corp. checked the coordinate's twice already. Nothing will happen. Now, are you going to throw the switch or not?" Jed hesitated, then put his trembling fingers around the lever. Jed closed his eyes, and slowly pulled the switch towards him. A small light lit on the control panel, signalling the start of the procedure. "Hyperspace Gate Now Opening," a computerized voice said. The light blinked rapidly, then went out. "Hyperspace Gate Open," the computer stated matter-of-factly.  
  
Then, the Moon split into two.  
  
The rocky, cratered surface of Earth's only natural satellite was silent. As sub-space slowly fractured around it, nobody was aware of the Moon's unhappy fate. A bright yellow light swept across the surface, cutting through the core of the moon like a hot knife through butter. The ultra-thin wormhole of hyperspace silently appeared, emmitted by a process unknown to all but the greatest of physicists. For several moments, the hole in time silently expanded, ripping the lunar surface into two clean sections. Then, as the the hyperspace portal gradually finished its final stage of opening, a bright light and force of friction exploded outward from the Moon, causing a blinding light. The near side of the moon was blown outward, crumbling and breaking from the force of the explosion. It was quite clear that the wormhole allowing hyperspace travel was never meant to touch any solid object. Without the regulation and containment of the magnetic 'gate', invented by a young Professor Hex at the Gate Corporation, the unharnessed power of the sub-space was a destructive force unknown to man.  
  
A mere one hundred meters away lay the dormant, red shell where the gate opening had been directed. The gate itself, already programmed to connect the Venusian and Martian gates, was specifically designed to contain the hyperspace opening and make it usable by craft. Just one hundred meters seperated the expected opening point of the gate and where the wormhole had actually appeared. Estimation and calculation had failed, the gate had been misplaced, and the consequences would be enormous. If, that is, the terrestrial population were not wiped out from the ensuing radioactivity and the destructive rock showers that were inevitable.  
  
Past the moon, being proppelled strictly by the force of the explosion, a lone American flag spun through the vaccuum of space. Neil Armstrong's legacy drifted towards the Earth, burning a brigh flare as it sped through the atmosphere of the blue world. Before the flag had reached the first layer of armosphere, the thin fabric had burned and dissolved into a memory.  
  
The opening in time began to close in on itself. Without the computerized gate surrounding it, the wormhole could only be opened for brief moments. The hole quickly collapsed on itself, folding around it's own massless shape and disappearing with a final, silent blast of white light.  
  
The pieces of the moon sped towards Earth. The half of the moon that was left continued rotating in its slow march, a melancholy reminder of The Gate Incident.  
  
The Earth was in for a heap of trouble.  
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
Authour's Note: This is a *strange* idea for a story. I will only continue it if YOU think it is good. The next chapters, if any, will regard the Earth's reaction, the Gate Corps.' reaction, and the many personal struggles and stories from the tragedy. (Hint, hint: Wen will make an appearance! As will Appledlehi! And the Chessmaster Hex!) So, if you think it is worth it, drop me a line asking for more.  
  
~Captain Antilles~  
AKA Asimov 


End file.
